Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

Chapter 12

As the rain pours down, Sun-woo kneels in front of the torn banner, fixated on the drawing of the dragon-head charm under the word "king." The full truth hits him: his friend Mak Mun was killed because he saw the king, and the dragon-head bracelet (that Sun-woo picked up after his fight with the man be believed to be Mak Mun's killer), is the symbol of the king.

Ah Ro finds Ji-dwi in the storeroom and assures him that nobody will believe the banner saying that the king is in Hwarang. Ji-dwi admits he's not as worried as he thought he would be if this happened. He wonders if it's because he has Ah Ro on his side, and she promises that she won't tell anyone he's the king.

Ji-dwi says that if anyone finds out, one of two things will happen — either he'll be killed by assassins, or he'll become king. He confesses that he's more worried that people will ask him to become king.

The other Hwarang are all abuzz wondering who the king could be, and Han-sung guesses that it's either Ji-dwi or Sun-woo. He argues that they're the only two they didn't all know growing up, and he grins when Yeo-wool says he might be onto something.

Hwa-gong recalls his conversation with Queen Regent Jiso, when she'd asked him to prove Ji-dwi's identity. He links it to his talk with Ji-dwi about the hidden king, and how Ji-dwi said he wants to take down the queen regent. He chuckles to himself as he puts the pieces together.

Yeo-wool's theory is that Sun-woo is the king, since he's seen the dragon-head bracelet Sun-woo wears, and he saw the same symbol on the banner. He teases Ban-ryu that he must feel better knowing he got beat up by the king and not a low-born, ha. His theory sweeps through the Hwarang, and when Sun-woo shows up for class, all the boys are super awkward.

Ji-dwi sits next to him and notes that everyone seems interested in Sun-woo. Sun-woo just says darkly that he's interested in them, too, thinking that the person responsible for Mak Mun's death is here.

Han-sung visits Ah Ro to tell her that her "brother" is the king, but she firmly counters it's not true. He asks how she's so sure, and smirks when she can't explain how she knows. She nearly bites the poor kid's head off.

She goes looking for Sun-woo, and catches up to him just as Princess Sookmyung approaches him. Sookmyung tells Sun-woo that people are saying he's her brother, and she takes his wrist to look for a birthmark. Sun-woo's face hardens, and he yanks her closer to him.

He asks if she shot at Ah Ro, and Sookmyung says she was just hunting deer. Sun-woo growls that he's not interested in who she is, or who she thinks he is, but he tells her that if she ever hurts Ah Ro, she'll find out who he really is. Sun-woo stalks off, and Sookmyung looks over to see that Ah Ro witnessed their confrontation.

Queen Regent Jiso is desperate to know who placed that banner in Hwarang, but the only clue is that whoever it is, they know that the double dragon heads are the symbol of the king. It's a closely guarded secret, known only to the royal family and a few generals stationed on the borders. But Hyun Chu thinks this could turn out to be beneficial to the king.

The court officials gather to discuss the increased attacks from the Baekje kingdom. Minister Park blames the situation on the queen regent's divided attention as she focuses on the king in the Hwarang.

His statement is calculated to shock the officials, and it works beautifully. When pressed for an answer, the queen regent lies that the king is not in the kingdom, and calls the rumor false.

In private, Ho Gong guesses that Sun-woo is the hidden king, based on the fact that he's the queen's Hwarang. But Minister Park looks skeptical, thinking it's all too perfect, and he says they'll wait to see what happens next.